Brian pointed out the day before yesterday that when putting together an end of year list it is always the case that you’ll miss or forget something. I agreed. The other situation is buying a record after posting the end of year list that then becomes a clear contender for said list (I spent some Christmas money in Piccadilly Records two days ago on just such an album, which I imagine I’ll come back here to in a few days time). The record I forgot about was Moon Duo’s 12″ single from January, a pair of covers that I should have put in my list. The first was their version of Alan Vega’s 1981 single Jukebox Babe, a two chord homage/motorik groove…
The other side of the Moon Duo 12″ was a slowed down cover of No Fun. Today is New Year’s Eve and I shall be back later if I find the time get something else written for the end of 2018. See you tonight.
My love of San Francisco drone hippy-punks Moon Duo is well documented. They have a new 12″ out today, a pair of covers. One of them is a version of No Fun by The Stooges that they worked up when appearing on 6 Music for Iggy’s 70th birthday (and it gives me an excuse to use this picture of Iggy a friend shared on social media recently). The other is a cover of Alan Vega’s 1981 single Jukebox Babe, an exercise in repetition and reverb that will take some beating. Both were recorded/produced by Sonic Boom, who knows a thing or two about repetition.
I got back last night, home again after a week away with sixty nine 15-18 year olds, who due to their teenage nature got into one or two scrapes in The Netherlands, Belgium and France but who all had I think a fantastic time. For many of them seeing the battlefields and cemeteries of the Ypres Salient and The Somme was a pretty profound and interesting experience. The weather was amazing. I believe you’ve had some sun in Blighty too. The temperature gauge on the pharmacy in Poperinge read 36 degrees on Tuesday. Very very hot.
I was saddened to hear of the death of Suicide’s Alan Vega. Suicide were a genuinely groundbreaking punk synth duo who fried the heads of punks in the UK when they supported The Clash. This is as good as anything they did- and as good as anything most other people do too.
Bagging Area 